Baltic Sea protection gets 50,000 euros donation

The City of Helsinki recently donated 50,000 euros to Baltic Sea protection, for use in a new Baltic Sea Challenge (BSC) campaign, said a City of Helsinki bulletin.

The BSC network will purchase between three and five ideas for 1-6 month “speedy experiments” that contain innovative solutions or targeted interventions for preventing plastic waste in the Helsinki area. The application period runs from 10 February to 22 March 2020.

About 70 percent of the waste that ends up in the Baltic Sea is plastic. Most of this comes from dining, smoking and discarded packaging, carried out to sea by rivers, drainage systems and wind.

Marine litter causes problems for both people and the environment. Plastic waste is particularly problematic, as it breaks down slowly and may transmit harmful chemicals through the food chain to fish, for example.

BSC’s speedy experiment campaign seeks to try out new ideas and test their functionality already in their early development phases. The Baltic Sea Challenge will purchase the selected experiments for between 1,000 and 8,000 euros, provided the ideas can be executed within a maximum of six months in the Helsinki area.

The campaign aims to discover solutions and services that can prevent or reduce the amount of plastic waste in shore areas and sea environments. It also hopes to promote the reuse of plastic waste collected from the sea, increase general awareness about marine litter problem, and encourage concrete action to protect the Baltic Sea.

Companies, start-ups, associations and research groups are welcome to submit their experiment ideas. The application process is open to all, providing they are members of either the Finnish Register of Associations or The Finnish Trade Register. An expert jury will select between three and five ideas.